Old Friend
by HurricaneMegan
Summary: Tenzin returns to Air Temple Island to make sure everyone got away safely and ends up finding Lin sitting at a window in one of the empty rooms. *EPISODE 10 SPOILERS*


**NOTES**: I had this idea floating around in my head right after episode 10 aired and at first, I thought it'd be a good idea to draw it, but it didn't turn out as great, thus leading me to turn to writing, but it's not that much better ^^; Forgive me! I hope this makes sense sort of. Time for me to go back into hiding because I'm sick and I have to study for exams...

* * *

It was unusually quiet in the airbender's abode. With the lack of of his rambunctious children running amuck and causing a ruckus, every sound he made became amplified. The eerie howl of wind caused the councilman to glance out into the night, wondering what enemy was lurking in the dark. Now that his family was safely hidden from the Equalists' torment, he didn't feel too worried. He was ready to fight anyone or anything that would jump from the shadows and attack.

As he rounded the corner, his eyes shifted from door to door. Every now and then, he would knock, announcing his presence before entering. So far, nobody was to be found. This was calming and unsettling at the same time. He felt as if someone was forgotten, but he knew very well that every inhabitant, aside from the White Lotus guards, had gotten away safely…

As he was nearing the end of his inspection, he noticed a set of double doors propped open, a cool breeze resonating from the inside. He raised an eyebrow, hurrying along to the room to shut whatever window was left open, but as he reached the entrance, he stopped dead in his tracks.

_Lin_.

The ex-cheif of police sat atop the bay window, hugging her knees to her chest as her messy grey locks whisked around her. Her face was turned away from the door, and from the looks of it, she was too preoccupied to notice Tenzin's presence. He stepped forward, walking towards his childhood friend, his mind trying to choose which words to say. As he neared her, he could see that she was no longer in armour, and from the corner of his eye he could spot the metalbender's gear in a heap off to the side. Something was wrong. Something had happened. But what?

"Lin," he spoke. Though he hadn't startled Lin, he had startled himself, his voice sounding misplaced in the silence of the evening. "Is… Is everything alright?"

He received a sigh as a response, however she did nothing more. The woman simply sat, her mind elsewhere.

Tenzin reached out, his hand gripping her shoulder, as panic arose in his mind. The Lin he knew would have said something, anything, to reassure him. Even a snarky comment was welcome. "Lin, what's wrong? Lin… Lin, please tell me what's wro—"

"Tenzin," she breathed, cutting him off. Slowly, she turned her head, gazing blankly up at him as her mouth turned up in an out of place smile. Her face was clear of make up, the lines in her skin indicating her age more evidently than before. She was drained. All that fighting, all that had happened to her, had worn her out.

"Lin, I want to thank you… for… for what you did back there… That was really brave and selfless of you, and I don't know how to thank you at all… Everyone is safe thanks to you… Meelo even proclaimed you were his hero. We're all so thankful for—"

"He took my bending." The words had come out dryly, just above a whisper but rang in Tenzin's ears like the wailing police sirens in the city. He stared at her, his mouth agape in disbelief, his hand gripping her more tightly.

Before he could say something, voice his rage for her, comfort her, _anything_, her eyes widened, her plastered smile twisting into a frown. She began shaking under his touch and her eyes, still blankly gazing up at him, reflected the horror she felt, the utter fear and depression that ran through her veins. Suddenly, something he had only seen once or twice in his past happened: Lin began to cry.

At first they were soundless tears that dared to roll down her defined cheekbones, over her scars, and fall from her pale face, but then they transformed into real tears, causing Lin to throw her head back, her heartbreaking cries echoing all around the empty island.

Lin lunged forward and grabbed onto Tenzin then, gripping his fabrics tightly as her legs gave out from underneath her. Tenzin was brought down on his knees along with her, his arms automatically snaking around her waist like they did those many years back to support her and hold her. He felt Lin's hands grab onto his chest, and like an instinct, he buried his face in her hair. It had been years since he held his childhood friend, his first love, like this. He knew that if Pema were around, she wouldn't be too pleased to find them like this...

The nostalgia was put to a pause as Lin lifted her head, her red rimmed eyes meeting Tenzin's. Her expression softened slightly, though her sadness rang true. "You know… I feel like… like I let her down… Like I let mom down…" She smiled sadly at this, her eyes turning downwards. "I could have done so much more…"

"You did more than anyone could have expected out of you, Lin," he interjected. His hand reached up to stroke her hair, a gesture that felt so natural it surprised him. Underneath his hand, her head shook, then her whole body pressed into him, as if she were trying to hide like a scared child.

"But now I have nothing!" she cried. "Everything I was is gone. My earthbending and metalbending were my _identity_, Tenzin! Not only did it reflect my abilities and my status in the city, even as an ex-cheif, it represented who I was! Toph Beifong, the _inventor_ of metalbending's daughter! Everything about my bending connected me to her… And now… And now I'm nothing like her… I have nothing to remind me of her at all…" The sobs picked up again as the ex-cheif hid her face in Tenzin's shoulder.

He let out a long sigh as he lifted his head to balance atop hers. He closed his eyes, remembering his Aunt Toph and Lin as a child together, laughing and teasing him and his father. Toph was Lin's family and mentor and meant so much more to her than he could ever understand…

Placing his hands on either side of her face, Tenzin lifted her head up and made eye contact. Her eyes glistened in the moonlight, and he felt a pang in his chest as he saw the girl he once loved dearly shine through the exhausted, aged woman before him.

"You do have something to remind you of her, Lin," he started. Her crying stopped as her ears perked up at his words. Her gaze, having been blank and unseeing the whole time, finally showed some sign of life and attention, indicating that she could hear him, that his words were getting through her head.

"Your courage and bravery are more than enough to remind you of your mother. That is something nobody could ever take away from you, even Amon." His hands slid down to her shoulders, holding her steady. "And, Lin, you are not weak. You are as strong and fearless as your mother, with or without your ability to bend. _You are a hero_."

Lin reached up and wiped her tears, succeeding this time, before Tenzin stood up, bringing her up with him, only to pull her into another warm embrace. He heard her chuckle softly.

"Everything will be okay, old friend," he whispered. "I promise."


End file.
